Learning the Game

Board & Notation

5 guides, starting with Proper Chess Board Setup: Where Every Piece Goes.

Start here · Essential guide

Proper Chess Board Setup: Where Every Piece Goes

Set up a chess board correctly: light square bottom-right, pawns on the second rank, then rooks, knights, bishops, queen on her color, and the king.

3 min read

Algebraic Chess Notation Examples for Reading and Writing Moves

Learn algebraic chess notation through examples: piece letters, squares, captures, check, castling, promotion and a short sample game you can read move by move.

3 min read

Chess Notation for the Knight

In chess notation the knight is written with a capital N, as in Nf3. See how to write captures, checks and two-knight moves, plus older Kt notation.

2 min read

Tournament Chess Board Size: Square and Board Dimensions

Tournament chess boards typically use squares of about 2 to 2.5 inches (5 to 6 cm). Learn how square size, board size and piece size fit together.

3 min read

Which Way the Chess Board Goes

Which way does the chess board go? Put a light square in each player's bottom-right corner. Learn why it matters for the queen, king and notation.

2 min read

More in learning the game

Piece Movement 8 guides, starting with Chess Pieces: Names and How Each Moves. Learning Chess 3 guides, starting with Chess Lesson Plans for Teachers and Coaches.